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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Chapter 1: Quoyle
Explanation and Analysis:
Though the narration is in the third person, it is almost entirely limited to Quoyle and his thoughts and feelings, which thus have a large effect on the tone of the book.
Overall, Quoyle's personality lends the book a gentle, hopeful, and contented tone moderated by the burdens and uncertainties of everyday life; Quoyle knows his life is not the best but he keeps going regardless. His generous and unsuspecting nature is unshakeable, sometimes to his detriment.
In Chapter 9, for instance, he puts on a brave face after buying a rickety old boat that he knows his colleagues will judge:
Quoyle knew they were looking at his boat. Well, he'd taken the plunge. Smiled, rehearsing a story of how he'd decided on the spur of the moment to buy a boat and get it over, how he almost felt transformed, ready to take on the sea, to seize his heritage.
Furthermore, Quoyle is very empathetic and willing to listen, establishing a sense of curiosity and openness toward the people of his community and its history; he gets along with almost everybody and perpetuates a feeling of community without being very overbearing as an individual presence. Rather than shutting down some of the more eccentric characters in Killick-Claw, Quoyle keeps his thoughts to himself. A common gesture of his, introduced in Chapter 1, reflects this tendency to avoid interruption or confrontation:
As a child he invented stratagems to deflect stares; a smile, downcast gaze, the right hand darting up to cover the chin.
Because Quoyle is so central to the story, his thoughts and mannerisms set the tone for the novel.
Chapter 9: The Mooring Hitch
Explanation and Analysis:
Though the narration is in the third person, it is almost entirely limited to Quoyle and his thoughts and feelings, which thus have a large effect on the tone of the book.
Overall, Quoyle's personality lends the book a gentle, hopeful, and contented tone moderated by the burdens and uncertainties of everyday life; Quoyle knows his life is not the best but he keeps going regardless. His generous and unsuspecting nature is unshakeable, sometimes to his detriment.
In Chapter 9, for instance, he puts on a brave face after buying a rickety old boat that he knows his colleagues will judge:
Quoyle knew they were looking at his boat. Well, he'd taken the plunge. Smiled, rehearsing a story of how he'd decided on the spur of the moment to buy a boat and get it over, how he almost felt transformed, ready to take on the sea, to seize his heritage.
Furthermore, Quoyle is very empathetic and willing to listen, establishing a sense of curiosity and openness toward the people of his community and its history; he gets along with almost everybody and perpetuates a feeling of community without being very overbearing as an individual presence. Rather than shutting down some of the more eccentric characters in Killick-Claw, Quoyle keeps his thoughts to himself. A common gesture of his, introduced in Chapter 1, reflects this tendency to avoid interruption or confrontation:
As a child he invented stratagems to deflect stares; a smile, downcast gaze, the right hand darting up to cover the chin.
Because Quoyle is so central to the story, his thoughts and mannerisms set the tone for the novel.
